Small bomb explodes at Phoenix charity, wounding two

May 24, 2012|David Schwartz | Reuters

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A small flashlight bomb blew up at a Salvation Army distribution center on Thursday, slightly wounding two employees, authorities said.

The donated yellow flashlight exploded when an employee at the center switched it on, said Tom Mangan, a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The employee and another worker suffered superficial injuries.

Witnesses told police the device was similar to others resembling flashlights that exploded this month in Glendale, a Phoenix suburb. No one was seriously injured in those incidents.

About 100 people were evacuated from the charitable group's distribution center and the nearby area as a precaution after the device went off, said Sergeant Trent Crump, a Phoenix police spokesman.

Mangan said the device would be sent to an ATF laboratory to see if it was similar to the Glendale bombs.